Ni Yuanlu

Ni Yuanlu was a Chinese calligrapher, painter, and writer during the Ming dynasty (1368–1644). He was born in 1577 in Shangyu in the Zhejiang province. His courtesy name was "Yuru" and his art name was "Hongbao". He passed the imperial examination in 1598 as a Jinshi (advanced scholar) and became a scholar in the Hanlin Academy. He served as the minister of revenue and the lecturer to the Chongzhen Emperor. He was an ardent reformer and opponent of the eunuch Wei Zhongxian (1568–1627). He was skilled in both ink and color painting, and often used fine brushwork and delicate shading. He painted landscapes, human figures, flowers, and birds in various styles, such as the Yuan dynasty painters Ni Zan and Wang Meng, and his contemporaries Shen Zhou and Wen Zhengming. He also wrote poems and essays to accompany his paintings, showing his literary talent and erudition. He was one of the founders of the Wu School of painting, along with Shen Zhou, Wen Zhengming, and Tang Yin. He had many students and followers, such as Qiu Ying and Xu Wei. He left an autobiography which contains a fictitious account of the circumstances of his own death. He committed suicide by hanging in 1644 when the Ming dynasty was overthrown by the Qing dynasty.